Aircraft gun mount



t. 15, 1946. J. c. TROTTER 2,499,495

AIRCRAFT GUN MOUNT Filed March 20, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR clay/2 gjkor e/a, v

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Oct. 15, 1946. J. c. T'ROTTER 2,409,405

AIRCRAFT'GUN MOUNT Filed March 20, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN'I OR JOHQ C/720/7'6AL "g 0' L w ATT%RNEYS rangement.

Patented Get. 15, 1946 AIRCRAFT GUN MOUNT John C. Trotter, Williamsville, N. Y., assig'nor to Bell Aircraft Corporation, Buffalo, N. Y.

Application March 20, 1943, Serial No. 479,899

3 Claims.

This invention relates to ordnance, and more particularly to gun mountand turret enclosure arrangements adapted for use upon aircraft or the like.

' One of the objects of the invention is to provide a new and improved gun mount. Another object is to provide a new and improved gun mount arrangement whereby a gun battery enclosure of new and improved form may be mounted thereon to enclose the gun battery and gun mount ar- Another object of the invention is to provide a gun battery turret and enclosure which is of improved form and which is adapted to rotate in improved manner in conjunction with gun battery aim adjustments, Another object of the invention is to provide an improved gun mount and turret enclosure arrangementwhich is particularly adapted to provide reduced airpressure forces thereagainst from externally of. the turret enclosure. Another object of the invention is to provide in combination, an aircraft anda gun mount and turret enclosure protruding in improved manner beyond the basic profile of the aircraft profile, whereby the combination aircraft and un battery enclosure ofier reduced overall resistance to relative air flow. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the specification hereinafter.

In the drawings: a Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a gun battery and mount of the invention arranged in conjunction with an airplane, and a gun turret enclosure of the invention shown in section; 4 Fig. 2 is a view taken substantially along line II- -IIof Fig. 1; s v V Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially along line IIIIII of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section taken along line IV-IV of Fig.2.

The drawings illustrate the invention in conjunction with an aircraft fuselage portion Iii comprising a streamlined convergent end portion such as the nose or tail of a large combat airplane or the like; but it will be understood that the gun battery mount and enclosure of the invention may be employed with equal facility to provide the advantages of the invention at any other portion of an aircraft fuselage, such as in connection with gun emplacements protruding from side 'wall or top' or bottom deck portions thereof. r v

The gun battery mount arrangement of the invention is characterized by support of the gun battery relative to fixed base structure so as to dispose the traverse or azimuthf axis of gun aim adjustment to be inclined rearwardly away from the customary vertical attitude thereof. For example, as illustrated by Fig. 1, the gun battery mount mechanism may comprise a bearing block I2 rigidly supported upon a fixed structural portion Id of the aircraft to rotatably mount a gun mount post !6 to extend below the bearing l2 for keyed engagement with a gun mount bracket l8. Hence, the post-bracket unitis, unless otherwise restrained, freely rotatable about an axis disposed vertically in front View but inclined rearwardly in side view as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

A pair of machine guns or cannon, or the like, having gun casing portions 28-29 and corresponding barrels 22-22 are mounted upon the bracket is so as to be bodily movable therewith about the axis of the gun mount post l5, but to be freely pivotable, unless otherwise restrained, relative to the bracket l8 about elevational aim adjustment axis extending transverselythrough the bracket I 8. For this purpose the gunsare illustrated as being carried separately upon corresponding pairs of bearer rods 24; each pair of rods being cross braced at 2525 to provide a frame upon which the corresponding gun is mounted by means of slide for reciprocation relative tothe frame in directions longitudinally of the gun. A shock absorbing and counter recoil force member 29 is connected to extend between corresponding slide brackets 28 and frame braces 26 to elastically-resist recoil movements of the guns and to provide the necessary counter-recoil impetus intermediately of each gun firing operation.-

A stirrup 30 extends rigidly from each gun bearer frame unit to engage at its corresponding upper end with a cross bar 32 (Fig. 2) providing the elevational adjustment trunnion bearing of the gun battery. The bracket 18 is formed with a bearing block portion 3:! to rotatably mount the cross bar 32 thereon. Thus, the gun battery: is freely pivotable for elevational aim adjustment purposes relative to the bracket :8 about the axis of the cross bar 32, while the guns are individually reciprocable relative to each gun mount bearer frame.

The bracket I8 comprises generally a C-shaped end wall portion 35 which is concentric of the axis of elevational aim adjustment of the cross bar 32. Circular side plates 38-38 are fixed to corresponding of the stirrups Ell-3i! so as to extend in spaced parallel relation concentrically of the axis of the cross bar 32 to form in conjunction with the Q-shaped bracket IS a hollow is in open communication with the guns through which are cjecteolthe frame-like casing, whereof the side plates 38-33 rotate relative tothebracket 18 in connection with elevationalaim adjustments of the gun bat;- tery. The bracket [8 is so proportiona -land ar-- ranged that the interior of the casing so provided ports of the ammunition of the ambelt links subsequent to segregation munitlon belts feeding the guns in connection with the gun firing operations. The bottom portion of the bracket i8 is formed with a down-- wardly extending spout id in open. communicationwith the interior of thecasing, whereby the ejected belt links will be received by the casing between the guns to fall vtherethrough in response to the forces of gravity to be discharged through the spout as to fall'clear of theigun battery niechanisms.

vMotor means for actuating the guns to provide azimuth and el'evational adjustments thereof may be'pr'ovided in any suitable form. As illus trated in thedrawings, such aim adjustment means comprises a pair of hydraulic motors Sella pressure forces at alternate sides thereof will procure corresponding oscillations of the gun mount bracket about the axis of the post IE. It

will be understood; however, that themotor '56 I may comprise; an electric motor, or any other suitable oscillation producing device; and that in any case the control means therefor will bear- 1 I ranged to be operated by manual manipulations of acontrol device such as the handle 55 shown in Fig. 1, in accord with any known ordnancecontrol principles.

To procure gun aim adjustments of the gunframe unit about the axis of the cross bar 32 relative to the bracket is, a vane piston type hydraulic motor is illustrated at 66 as being arranged interiorly of the gun mount bracket assembly. The case portion of the motor til is of segmental sectional form (Fig. 4) the apex portion of the motor casing being arranged to comprise the bearing block 3 3 supporting the cross bar 32. The piston 52 of the motor 3% is illustrated as terminating in a hub 65 at its inner end encircling the cross bar 32; whereby it Will be understood that oscillation of the piston 552 within the motor case in response to application of fluid pressure forces at alternate sides thereof will procure corresponding oscillation of the cross bar and of the gun support frame attached thereto. Suitable hydraulic motor mechanisms of the type referred to are disclosed in my prior patent application Serial No. 438,400, now Patent 2,350,946, dated June 6, 1944. It will also be understood, however, that any other suitable type of motor mechanisms may be mounted in connection with the gun support frame to provide oscillation thereof about the axis of the trunnion bearing for elevational aim adjustments of the gun battery; and that in any case the motor control mechanism will be operably coupled with the manual control handle 55, whereby selective manipulation of the latter will provide the desired composition of azimuth and elevational adjustments of the gun battery. Any suitable gun sight device may be employed if desired, asindicated at 65, to enable the gunner to accurately train the frontal surface of the turret: enclosure is of ,cy lindrical form'and slopes rearwardly and downgun battery upon the target; and it will be understood that any suitable means for connecting the 5 ordnance art.

B1 is pivotally mounted upon the gun mount frame of each gun unit for smoothing the feedl ing of cartridge belts from positions, remote from p the gunbattery into the ammunition feedways 10 of the guns.

stream and elements exteriorly thereof a turret W to comprise a generally cylindrical casin 5 mounted upon the airplane to rotate with the bracket I {about the axis of the postlBy Thus,

the cylindrical sidewall portion .12 of the casing moves concentricallyof theaxis of the post is in l conjunction with all azimuth. adjustments of the l gun battery aim; whereby the wall portion ,12

' enclosure of generally cylindrical form which may be readily merged at its rear with abuttingstationary wall structure of the aircraft while the wa'rdly asit emerges from the fuselage so asto 1 present a rearwardly sloping surface to'the rela-:

tive airstream instead of a vertical abutment thereto as in the case of, a tu r t ar uently a'more perfectlystreamlined airplane is the gun battery; Preferably, the ends of the turret enclosure will be truncated as illustrated in Fig. 1; and the outboard end portion thereof will be preferably closed as indicated at 76. Supplemental fairing as indicated at lilmay be arranged to extend from fixed structure of the fuselage to complete the overall streamlining of the aircraft, in any preferred manner.

It will be understood that the turret enclosure of the invention may be provided of any suitable 50 materials, transparent or non-transparent as may be preferred; and that the frame structure thereof may be of any suitable character whereby to support the turret enclosure shell relative to a base which is in turn rotatable relative to the fuselage l0 substantially concentrically of the axis of azimuth rotation of the gun battery! The shell of the turret enclosure will be slotted as indicated at 80 to permit the guns to be adjusted in elevation relative to the enclosure.

Although only one form of the invention has been shown and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not so limited but that various changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, an aircraft including a streamlined body having a convergent end and a 70 thrust axis, bearing means supported by said aircraft and inclined away from said end and outwardly with respect to said axis, a gun mount, a post rotatably journalled on said bearing means and suspending said gun mount, and an enclo- 75 sure for said gun mount rotatable therewith about gunsight and the gun battery control mocha nism may be employed, such-as is known in the l An ammunition belt guide r011 To house the gun battery against the air- :of theturretmaintains a constant relation with,

respect to adjacent portions of the fuselage skin, i I r whichare preferably arranged to befairedinto v streamline relation with res ect to the casing wall 72, asindicated 93014.; Hence, it will be under-,

- rotate about a'substantially vertical axis, Conseew a common axis, said enclosure being faired into and with respect to said body.

2. In combination, an aircraft including a streamlined body having a convergent end and a longitudinal axis, bearing means supported by said aircraft and inclined away from said end and outwardly with respect to said axis, a gun mount, a post rotatably journalled on said bearing means and suspending said gun mount, and a gun mount enclosure faired into and with respect to said body having a cylindrical wall terminating in a truncated closed end wall, said enclosure being rotatable as a unit with said gun mount about a common axis.

6 3. In combination, a vehicle including a streamlined body having a convergence and a longitudinal axis, gun mount bearing means spaced from said axis and inclined away from said convergence and outwardly with respect to said axis, a gun mount rotatably suspended from said bearing means carried by said vehicle, and an enclosure for said mount faired into and with respect to said body having a cylindrical side Wall and mounted upon said Vehicle for rotation as a unit with said gun mount.

JOHN C. 'I'ROTTER. 

